National Republican., 1887-02-22
DID Emancipation Emancipate


There are some millions Of people who
believe that the proclamation issued by
Abraham Lincoln on the Sd of April, 1868,
which declared the freedom OF all men and
women in the United States held as slaves,
the subsequent surrender Of all the armies,
and the dissolution of the government
which combatted this proposition, the
adoption Of the thirteenth amendment TO
the constitution, did really emancipate and
make freemen of all the people Of this
country who had not previously enjoyed
that blessing. And these same deuded
millions have supposed that the fourteenth
amendment made all this liberated class
citizens, with all the privileges, immunities,
and duties implied by that word.
Webster defines a freeman TO be "one
who enjoys liberty, or who is not subject to
the will of another," and he says a citizen
Of the United States is "any native born or
naturallzed person, Of either sex, who Is
entitled to full protection in the exercise or
enjoyment Of the socalled private rights"
That antiquated and seemingly forgotten
document, the constitution Of the United
States, gives to every citizen Of one state
the privileges aud immunities Of the citi-
zens Of any other state.
1t will hardly be denied that one OF the
'private rights of every citizen-of every
person not under legal guardianship or
disabilities-is the right to use his or her
labor In such way and at such times and
places as may seem best, always provided
that such use does not interfere with the
rights Of some other person. The Declara-
tion OF Independence, the foundation stone
Of the republic, declares that among the
'inalienable rights" of man are included
"life, liberty, and the pursuit OF happl-
| ness"
The war with Great Britain in 1912 was
partly to establish the right OF the foreign
citizen to expatriate himself, and the Amer
ican government has always been ready to
| fight any nation on the earth to establish
| this right, so that 1t is safe to assume that
every freeman, every citizen Of this coun
try, has the right to contract away his owr
labor, and the right to remove at his own
pleasure from one state to another, or from
any section Of one state to another.
II these are acknowledged rights Of free
men and citizens then the emancipation
proclamation did not emaucipate, and the
thirteenth and fifteenth amendments to the
constitution are void and Of no effect II
some sections Of the country.
For months past there have been occa
sional notices in local papers published IL
South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi
stating that labor agents, men who wer
engaged in hiring negroes to remove to th
rich cotton lands Of the Mississippi an,
Arkansas river, had been notified to leav
the country, as they would not be permitte
TO contract With laJOrerS 10 rGmoue from hei
present homes.
In the upland counties OF Mississipl
there have been several cases Of this kind
when men have been driven from the cour
ties because they were endeavorlng to 10
duce colored laborers to remove to richie
lands, where they could get better wages.
or course Senators George and Waltha,
who were SO eloquent in their denuuciatio
of the Carrollton outrage. will at once ris
III their places in the Senate and keep elc
quenty silent upon this conduct of the
constituents in refusing to allow "freeme
and citizens' the "iualieuable right" {
, removing from one county to another, or
securing the best price possible for the
labor.
Our Democratic confreres will all defen
} this right of "the best people" to contr,
"the ignorant and vicious" and will
usual declare that the driving out of the
labor agents was the work Of ''irresponslb
and uncomfortable young men,"
To save them some trouble on this sui
, ject, we call their attention to the last Gu!
reported, which can be found In dispatc
! from Yicksburg, Miss, In the New Orlear
= Times Democrat Of the 18th instant. Th
dispatch says, "a meeting of promine
, planters was called to meet at 12 o'cloc
last Tuesday for the purpose Of takir
l steps to stop the work Of agents In th
country who were influencing the lahore
, to leave"
At this meeting of "prominent planter;
resolutions were adopted aud committee
twelve appointed to order all men engage
e in the business to desist, and, in case OF r
+. fusal, to ''order them from the country.
, The names OF two men were given, al
q they, knowing how such resolutions we
:, carried out, both left at once. One Of the
q has been permitted to return on signing
written pledge and giving security that
= will not endeavor to hire any more negro
n to leave the country, and the other h
o been notified that he will "not be permit,
1 to return to said county under any circu1
8 stances"
How much does the emancipation pro
4 lamation emancipate these colored peop
= Of jefferson county. Miss.9 Perhaps NJ
: Barksdale, the Mississippi Democrat wi
o represents this district, with its $50,
! white and 10000 colored population, CT
I answer this question.
= These Misslssippians seem to think tn
c are still Lying under the black cod
: adopted just as the war closed, by which
Q was made felony for one man to hire Il
negroes employed by another.
Mr.. II. W. Grady might possibly expla
this whole matter should he make anoth
speech on the new south,